We’ve sipped gas during a six-month drive down the Hybrid Highway. Last fall, we took delivery of a mean and miserly Toyota Prius V Hybrid for an extended test drive. We passed it around The Province Driving team and loaned it to readers to try and, let’s put it this way, no gas company shareholder got richer on us. As of next week, it could be sitting on your driveway, because we are giving it away! You can enter to win the car at the Vancouver International Auto Show, where it will take pride of place at The Province stand. Drop by, check it out, sit inside and enter the draw for this roomy new five-seater member of the ever-expanding gas/electric hybrid lineup from Toyota.

They’re the big gift-wrapped presents tied up with a bow at every auto show, and one of the reasons many people attend auto shows. But with a late-season show date and the event taking place the same week as the New York International Auto Show, the Vancouver International Auto Show often is a little light on show-stopping debuts.

Mercedes is set to release one of the hottest and sure-to-be top sellers in North America, the CLA. First unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, this four-door with a coupe-like silhouette is based on the same platform as the very good, new B-Class. It shares the same 2.0L direct-injection, turbocharged engine with 208 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The power will go to either two or four wheels depending on the buyer’s choice for AWD. A seven-speed duel clutch automatic is standard equipment as is a host of Mercedes developed safety features. The CLA is slightly longer than the C-Class but runs on a shorter wheelbase and promises good fuel economy, plus it will be less expensive. This might be the Mercedes for the masses.

More than ever, the sports car segment covers a range of price-points, designs, and power outputs, furnishing a diverse selection for every wallet and every dreamt-about level of performance. From track dominators to “fun-in-the-sun” roadsters, the Vancouver International Auto Show will have them all. Here’s a sampling of the sporty rides to be found. 2014 Corvette Stingray

This is the year of the mid-sized family car, with new or recent offerings from almost every major manufacturer, but Mazda might just have one of the most compelling vehicles in the class, the new Mazda6. Stunning styling will get buyers interested with the long hood, swept windshield, flowing lines and classy interior. But it’s what you can’t see that makes the Mazda6 more appealing. Skyactiv is what Mazda calls its suit of technologies that enhance fuel economy but also drivability. A new 2.5L direct injection engine that runs on regular fuel, produces 184 hp in an all-new platform and can be used with a six-speed manual or automatic. The Mazda6 will be available with a diesel engine, the first diesel in a non-German sedan in North America.

Some terrific new automotive technologies can be found at this year’s Vancouver International Auto Show. Here are five to include in your “must check” list, as you ramble around the displays and exhibits.

Showgoers will doubtless go home with dreams of a new car to drive to work or take to the cottage. Our road warrior writer Garry Sowerby looks at vehicles in a slightly different way — he’s always looking for wheels for his next adventure. Check out his dream drives and figure which cars at the show you would choose to take on such journeys.

If you’re under 30 and you’ve felt as though cars in your price range don’t have all the features you want, Chevrolet has designed two new concept cars with you in mind. They have even enlisted help from young adults to ensure they include all the right elements, both in style and functionality that the next generation of buyers is looking for in a car. The results of this co-creation are two coupes — Code 130R and Tru 140S — that will be on display at the show.

The fourth annual Hagerty Classic Alley is brought to you by the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. to showcase and support some of the vehicles that one would expect to see at local car shows this summer. The car shows selected this year to display vehicles include the Langley Good Times Cruise on Sept. 7, the Port Coquitlam annual car show Aug. 18, the Royal City Show ’n’ Shine July 14, and a new event for 2013, the Vancouver Collector Car Show, June 22 and 23 at the PNE.

Today’s menu: Three Island Drives paired with a selection of Three Brand New Vehicles Having just returned from an unexpected trip to Italy after a 21-year absence from my country of origin, my thoughts drift to Sicily, the island home of my mother’s mother’s family where cousins, aunts and uncles still reside.

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